February 17, 2009

AAAS Meeting 2009: Engineered Life

Posted by Amy Maxmen,
PhD Science Writer for the Journal of Experimental Medicine

I tend to role my eyes when people talk about manipulating
human embryos to create more desirable children or about how robots will soon
flood the job market. So it was with some skepticism that I attended the press
briefing on Friday about synthetic life, a field turning biological organisms
into technological tools by re-programming cells with inserts of manufactured
DNA, RNA or entire signaling pathways.

Last year, researchers at the Venter Institute constructed
of a 582,970-base pair genome of Mycoplasma genitalium. Now that they’ve shown
it can be done, Standford bioengineer Drew Endy, a panelist at the session,
says they are thinking practically about the next few steps. What should the
first synthetic organisms be doing as they enter the public sphere? And how can
this technology best be brought to the people?

Just as the creation of pet-store glo-fish aren’t the
shining stars of GFP-transgenic technology, these panelists have lofty goals in
mind for how engineered cells might lead to better drugs, materials, food and
fuel. Jay Keasling at U.C. Berkeley talks about his groups’ plans for the yeast
they’ve coaxed into producing artemisin, the leading drug to fight the
deadliest type of malaria. By 2006 the yeast were pumping out artemisin. Now
Keasling is working to streamline the process. Currently, artemisin must be
isolated from wormwood plants. But fears of unproductive seasons coupled with a
rising demand for the drug make the idea of vats of yeast secreting artemisin
at a couple of weeks notice, attractive for obvious reasons. And I’d expect
public fears about synthetic life that saves lives to be minimal.

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